APIs, Apps, Integrations, Oh My! Finding the Right eSignature Deployment for Your Business

In a 2018 State of the CIO report, International Data Corporation estimated that spending on digital transformation will exceed $2 trillion in 2019. In addition, as much as 40 percent of all business technology spending will go directly into digital transformation.

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Paperwork continues to be a heavy draw on personnel with all its inefficiencies and redundancies. eSignatures offer an easy win to show the impact and ROI of digital transformation on business-critical processes.

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The question is not whether your organization should adopt an eSignature solution to improve customer experience, efficiency, and security—the question is which eSignature integration option is right for your organization now that you’re ready to pursue transformation?

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Your Options for Deploying eSignatures

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We can’t say we’re sad to see so many eSignature options pop up, but dang it can be confusing to know which solution is right for you if you’re just getting started!

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At HelloSign, we’re a bunch of eSignature workflow nerds, but we know not everyone is. That’s why we put together this easy primer on how to choose the right eSignature implementation based on your organization’s wants and needs. And as a bonus for everyone who reads ‘til the end, we’re even throwing in some awesome tips for making your eSignature rollout as painless as possible.

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1. Use eSignatures With a Mobile or Web App

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An out-of-the-box mobile or web-based eSignature application is great for organizations who don’t have complex eSignature needs and don’t plan to conduct tons of signing transactions. eSignature apps are ideal for single-sided documentation like sales contracts, HR forms, and the like.

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Because it isn’t integrated deep into your workflows or technology stack, an eSignature app can be up and running as soon as you’re able to get your staff trained on it. While this solution means you don’t have to have any IT or development resources on hand, it also means you’re forfeiting the ability to customize the workflow to add your branding or integrate your existing processes.

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We built our HelloSign app for teams who dread dealing with code and want a simple, fast eSignature solution. But just because HelloSign is simple to set up and delightful to use doesn’t mean it lacks any power under the hood.

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Business-class team management tools empower administrators to add, remove, and upgrade team members easily. You can sign documents as well as request signatures from up to 20 different people and watch your documents’ progress throughout its execution. You can even create your own templates to save time and sanity on repetitive signature events!

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And for organizations who want to add more than ten users, we also offer HelloSign Enterprise—a secure and scalable eSignature platform trusted by over 80,000 customers.

eSignature APIs are ideal for organizations with complex, nuanced workflows and medium-to-high transaction volumes. They tend to offer advanced workflow customization so you can tweak and tightly integrate their functionality to fit even your most unique processes. That level of customization extends to branding and user flow—meaning you’re empowered to create an experience that inspires employee adoption as well as customer loyalty!

While an eSignature API isn’t a plug-and-play solution like its web-based counterpart, a trustworthy provider should have SDK information, clean documentation, and developer-run support to help your development resources get your integration up and running smoothly.

As an API-first company, we prioritize making HelloSign API easy to implement, hassle free, feature rich, and fully customizable. We want our customers to not only use but to enjoy all of its great benefits like flawless customization, easy maintenance, extra-strength legal and security features, fast set up (our average integration time of 2.5 days is the fastest in the industry!), and plenty more.

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Not sure whether an app or an API is a better fit for you? Check out our handy cheat sheet below or contact HelloSign’s helpful, tech-savvy team today to find out which of our powerful eSignature systems is best for your business.

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3. Add eSignature Integrations and Extensions to Your Current Apps

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eSignature integrations and extensions help you get business done more efficiently by moving information between services and automating actions without you ever having to leave the app in which you’re working.

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With an eSignature extension, you can grow the functionality of the business systems your employees are already using. When implemented into your user-facing workflows, they can help customers get tasks done faster—which is something we can all appreciate!

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We love building integrations and extensions that make it as easy as possible to sign in whatever tool you’re using. For example, our new Salesforce integration is the only tool currently on the market that empowers users to prepare, edit, and send documents for signature without ever leaving their Salesforce instance!

How to Deploy Your eSignature Solution

No matter which solution you choose to deploy, implementing any initiative has its own upfront challenges.

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When the going gets tough, don’t question your investment in eSignatures—follow these steps to ensure your eSignature system is set up for lasting success.

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Carefully Choose the Right Partner

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Implementing eSignatures in your workflow can really stir things up. Do you want to go through that change with a service provider whose idea of customer service is an FAQ page or do you want to team up with a specialized partner who’s done this before and is with you every step of the way?

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Look for a partner who will anticipate your needs and is willing to help you develop a unique roadmap to ensure your eSignature deployment is successful now and in the future. In fact, here are 5 questions you should ask yourself to help make sure you choose the right eSignature vendor.

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Establish Your Unique Workflow

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eSignature software is powerful. Chances are, whichever solution you choose with come with all kinds of new options and opportunities you didn’t have in the past. Take some time to learn about and play with all of these features to find ways to improve efficiency and productivity across your organization.

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Practice ‘til It’s Perfect

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Once you think you like your new eSignature workflow, it’s time to put it to the test. Not only should your eSignature software be easy for customers to use, it should save time for the people in your organization who interact with it—all while maintaining security and legality.

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Quality assurance testing is especially important if you’ve chosen to integrate your eSignature solution deep into your IT configuration. Sure, you might want to make tweaks in the future, but taking your new eSignature process through a few dry runs is a great way to make sure the program gets off on the right foot and garners early adoption.

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The Right eSignature Deployment, Simplified with HelloSign

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Whether you need the simplicity of an app, the customizability of an API, or the jet-pack to productivity that integrations and extensions offer—choosing the right eSignature deployment is an important decision that every business will need to make on its way to digital transformation.

And if the solution you choose today isn’t the same one that fits in a few years, we get that! Our solutions are scalable and our team highly adaptable. Sign up for a free trial today and see for yourself—if you can’t find the right fit, we’ll build it for you.

eSignatures Anywhere You Need Them

The best eSignature solution is one that fits snugly into any and all business scenarios. HelloSign has you covered whether you’re looking to expand signing online using a web app, an API, or via third-party integrations.